Forgiven
by egoofy34
Summary: Lindsay finally forgives Danny but is it too late? Please Read and Review. Chapter 8 up now. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Danny heard the shot come from inside the house and his heart sank.

_Flashback…_

_Lindsay pulled up to the crime scene and groaned when she saw Danny standing there talking to Flack. She did not have any proof but she was sure that Mac was doing this on purpose. Ever since news that she and Danny had broken up had spread through the lab, the two were always assigned to the same cases. She figured it was some kind of horrible punishment for having gotten involved with a co-worker. Some way for Mac to send a message to any one else who might be pondering the idea. Although she did think that if she told Mac what Danny had done, that he might show her some sympathy but then again she did not have any proof of what he did either. He had never actually told her that he cheated on her but something in her gut told her he had. The hardest part was that she still loved him and as much as she tried to let that go, she couldn't. _

_"Morning Monroe." Flack smiled as she got out of the car. _

_"Good morning Flack, Danny." She gave them both a smile, trying to keep everything professional. "What've we got?" _

_"One body inside. Neighbors called it in." Flack responded. _

_Danny could not take his eyes off of her. He could not believe that he had been so stupid. Lindsay was the best thing that ever happened to him and he had completely screwed it up. He was a dumb ass, there was no other way to put it. He also knew that he would spend his whole life trying to make it up to her. Whether or not they could ever get back to where they were, he was not sure, but he was determined to at least try. _

_"Found some foot prints and a broken window out back. Probably from the killer." Flack continued. _

_"Do you want the body or the backyard?" Lindsay asked turning to Danny, who was clearly not paying attention. "Danny!"_

_"Unh? What?" Danny asked confused. "Oh, sorry, what did you say?"_

_"Body or backyard?" She asked again. _

_"You pick, I don't care." _

_"Okay, I take the body." With that Lindsay picked up her kit and headed inside. Once she was gone Flack turned to Danny. _

_"Have you at least tried talking to her?" Flack asked and Danny rolled his eyes. "I take that as a no." _

_"What am I suppose to say? Hey Lindsay, I love you but I slept with Rikki. Sorry, how about dinner tomorrow?" _

_"Honestly Danny I don't think you have to tell her, I think she already knows."_

_"She must hate me." _

_"She doesn't hate you. She loves you, although I am not sure why." Flack teased. "But, seriously you need to talk to her. Beg for her forgiveness. Something. You cannot…" Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot from inside the house. _

Flack and Danny ran into the house, both praying that Lindsay was okay. They ran to the back of the house where the body was and saw a man, running out the back door. Flack took off in chase and Danny turned to see Lindsay laying on the ground with blood pouring out of her chest.

"Oh my god! Lindsay! Call 911." Danny yelled at the other officers in the room. Danny fell to his knees beside her. He grabbed a dishtowel from sink behind her and pressed into onto her chest, desperately trying to stop the blood. "Hang in there baby. Fight okay. I need you to fight."

"Danny?" Lindsay said softly.

"Yeah, I am here sweetie. Just hang in there." Danny was fighting back tears as he squeezed her hand.

"It hurts." Lindsay moaned. "So cold."

"I know. It's going to be okay. You are going to okay I promise." Danny could tell she was fading and he knew that he needed to tell her, because something told him that he may not get another chance. "Lindsay, baby please fight okay. I need you to fight. I love you and I cannot lose you. I did something really stupid and I am so sorry."

"I know." Lindsay replied with tears in her eyes. Danny felt his heart sink. Flack was right she knew.

"I am so sorry. I am sorry for everything. I should have come to you. I was a dumb ass and I know that. Please forgive me. You are the best thing that ever happened to me and I screwed that up, but I love you. I know that I never told you that but I do. I miss you so much. I miss my best friend. I miss my girlfriend." Danny was almost pleading.

"I forgive you." Lindsay replied as her eyes grew heavy. "I love y…" Then Lindsay's eyes rolled back in her head and everything went black.

"NO, damn it Lindsay. I love you. You can't leave me." Danny screamed at her. About the same time Flack and the EMT's came running through the door.

"Jesus." Flack said as he entered the kitchen. The EMT's set out to work on Lindsay, while Flack pulled Danny away.

"Please tell me you caught him?" Danny asked Flack, never taking his eyes off of Lindsay.

"Yeah, we got him." Flack said putting his hand on Danny's shoulder. All they could do was watch as the paramedics prepared to shock Lindsay with the paddles.

"CLEAR!" Nothing.

"Charging 200. CLEAR!" Nothing.

"Charging 300. CLEAR!" Nothing.

"DAMN IT MONTANA, YOU CAN NOT LEAVE ME!!" Danny screamed as Flack struggled to hold him back.

"One more time, charging 300. CLEAR!" Beep, Beep, Beep. Danny looked up to the heart monitor and saw Lindsay's heart rate returning to normal. "We got her back. Lets move!" The EMT's loaded her into the ambulance and then they were gone.

"Come on Danny, lets go." Flack said pulling Danny towards the car. Once in the car and on the way to the hospital Flack called Mac.

"Bonasera." Stella said as she answered Mac's phone.

"Stella, what are you doing answering Mac's phone?"

"Mac is in a budget meeting, I am…" Stella tried to explain but Flack cut her off.

"Lindsay's been shot!"

"WHAT?!" Stella asked in shock.

"I don't have time to explain. Danny and I are on the way to the hospital now. NYU Medical. Get Mac and get there." Flack paused as he looked over at Danny. "It's bad Stella."

"We're on our way. Real quick how is Danny?" Stella asked with tears threatening to fall.

"Not sure yet, it all happened so fast. Just get there." Flack closed his phone and continued to the hospital.

Stella made a beeline for the conference room where Mac was in a budget meeting. She knocked on the door and without waiting opened the door.

"I am sorry to interrupt but Mac I need to see you right now." Mac started to ask if it could wait, but something in Stella's eyes said it was important.

"Excuse me." Mac said as he got up and walked out of the room. "What is it Stella? What's wrong?"

"Lindsay's been shot." Stella said as the first tear fell down her face. "Flack said that it doesn't look good."

A/N- I hate cliffhangers too. Please review. Next chapter should be up in a couple days.


	2. Chapter 2

Thirty minutes later Mac and Stella found Flack and Danny in the ER waiting room

Thirty minutes later Mac and Stella found Flack and Danny in the ER waiting room. Danny looked lost. He was sitting next to Flack, still covered in Lindsay's blood and was just staring down the hallway.

"Danny, are you okay?" Mac asked quietly as he sat down next to him. Danny did not say a word, just continued to stare at the hallway as if he was waiting for Lindsay to walk around the corner. "Danny, look at me." Mac said a little louder, causing Danny to turn to face Mac. Almost immediately Danny began to cry. Mac pulled Danny into a hug and held him until a doctor showed up a few minutes later.

"Are you here for Detective Monroe?"

"Yes." They all said in unison as they jumped up.

"I am Detective Mac Taylor." Mac said as he shook his hand. "This is Detectives Bonasera, Flack and Messer." The doctor nodded.

"She is on her way to surgery. The bullet did a lot of damage and the procedure is going to take several hours. The bullet hit her left lung and shattered two ribs. A small piece of one of her ribs tore a small hole in the side of her heart. I will be honest with you, it is a miracle that she has survived this long. We are doing everything we can, but I think you need to prepare yourselves for the worst." Danny felt like he was going to be sick. "I wish I had better news. If you want to go to the third floor, there is a surgery waiting room where you can get updates." The doctor turned to leave, while Stella and Flack led Danny back over to the chairs. Mac followed the doctor out and stopped him in the hall.

"I want you to be honest with me, what are her chances?" Mac asked with tears of his own. Lindsay was like a daughter to him and the thought of losing her was almost too much to take.

"With the injuries I saw, I would say 30." Mac stared back in shock. "Detective Monroe has been very lucky so far. Her heart has stopped twice already. Once at the scene and once in the ER."

"Thank you doctor." Mac said as he shook the young doctor's hand.

"Like I said I wish I had better news." He said with a weak smile. "Would you like me to find a pair of scrubs for Detective Messer?" He asked glancing back towards the waiting room. "I am sure it would be more comfortable then sitting around in his partner's blood."

"Girlfriend." Mac corrected the doctor and he nodded. Something told him that when this was all over and Lindsay was awake, because she would get better, he was going to have to talk to them about interoffice relationships. "And that would be great, thank you."

"Okay, I will have a nurse bring you some." The doctor turned to leave and Mac went back into the waiting room.

A few minutes later a nurse came in and handed Mac a pair of scrubs. Mac nodded a silent thank you and she left.

"Danny, I got you a pair of scrubs to change into." Mac said turning to Danny. Danny looked up at Mac and then down to his clothes and for the first time realized that he was still completely covered in her blood. Montana's blood. Danny jumped up and ran towards the bathroom, where he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. A few minutes later Flack found Danny sitting on the floor with his head buried in his hands.

"Why don't you put these on for now and I will have Hawkes swing by your place later and get some clothes for you." Flack said as he handed Danny the scrubs. Danny did not way a word. He took the scrubs and went into one of the stalls.

A little while later, the four of them made their way to the surgery waiting room. They had been waiting for what seemed like forever and they still had not heard anything about Lindsay's condition. Finally Danny startled everyone when his voice broke through the silence.

"She forgave me." Danny said, not really to any one in particular.

"Excuse me Danny?" Stella asked.

"I told her I was sorry, that I was a dumb ass and she forgave me. That was the last thing she said." Danny said with tears in his eyes. Flack gave his friend a pat on the back.

"That's good Danny." Stella smiled.

"You were right Flack, she knew." Danny said as he looked up from the floor. Flack nodded and felt his own tears beginning to form.

"Knew what Danny?" Mac asked.

"I slept with Rikki."

"Oh, Danny." Stella said with a deep sadness in her voice.

"I totally screwed this up. I had the best girl in the world and I cheated on her. How could I be so stupid?"

"Do you love her?" Mac asked. Danny looked stunned by the question. "It's a simple question Danny, do you love her?"

"With all of my heart." Danny said looking at his boss.

"Have you told her that?" He continued.

"Not till today." Danny sighed. "But I should have told her before. I should have told her everyday." Tears threatened to fall again.

"When Lindsay gets better and she will get better, because I have complete confidence in her, you and her need to have a talk. A serious talk." Before Danny could respond a doctor came into the room.

"I am Dr. Simpson. Are you here for Detective Monroe?"

"I am Detective Mac Taylor, I am Lindsay's boss and this is Detective Messer, her boyfriend." Stella looked at Mac and could not help but think that had the circumstances been different the fact that Mac just called Danny Lindsay's boyfriend would have been sweet.

"Is she okay?" Danny asked quickly after he shook the doctor's hand.

"She is out of surgery but she is not out of the woods yet. Her condition is critical. We were able to remove the bullet and stop the bleeding. We repaired the damage to her heart as well as her lung. We currently have her on a ventilator to help her breath while her lung heals."

"Can we see her?" Stella asked.

"I will let you know when she is out of recovery. She will be in the ICU for the next several days or until she wakes up. She is strong and since she made it this far I am cautiously optimistic. Does she have any immediate family I should speak with?"

"No, she is from Montana. Both her parents are dead. She has a brother but they do not talk." Danny said.

"Okay well if you need anything just ask." Dr. Simpson shook all their hands and left the room.

Danny let out a sigh and ran his hands over his face as they returned to their seats.

"I can't believe this is happening." Danny said as Stella squeezed his hand.

"She is tough. She will pull through this Danny." Stella said holding back her own tears.

"I hope you're right Stella. I hope you're right."

They continued to sit there in silence while they waited for a nurse to come get them. Finally a nurse ran into the room and immediately Danny knew something was wrong.

"We're taking Detective Monroe back into surgery. Her pressure is dropping and we can't stabilize her. As soon as we are through the doctor will come find you." Just as quickly as she entered she left, leaving four very stunned people behind.

A/N- I know another cliffhanger….. I will update as soon as I can, I promise. Please Review


	3. Chapter 3

The four of them sat there in stunned silence

The four of them sat there in stunned silence. Danny had tears running down his face and all he could think about was how he had screwed up. He wanted nothing more to be able to tell her how much he loved her, to hold her and never let go.

A couple hours passed and finally the doctor came back into the room.

"Detective Monroe is out of surgery again and is stable. I will have a nurse come find you when we move her to the ICU, but in the mean time, Detective Messer could I speak with you in private?" Dr. Simpson asked and immediately Danny went white in the face.

"Why…why can't you tell me here?" Danny asked with fresh tears threatening to fall. He was certain that what ever this doctor was about to tell him was not good news.

"I think this is a matter you would like to discuss in private." Dr. Simpson continued to urge Danny. Finally Danny nodded and followed the doctor out of the room. "What do you suppose that was all about?" Flack asked as they sat back down.

"I don't know but I hope it is not more bad news, I don't know how much more Danny can take." Mac added.

A few minutes later, Danny returned to the room looking like he had seen a ghost. He was pale and looked like he had aged 10 years in a matter of minutes.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Stella asked suddenly very concerned. Danny did not say anything and simply sat down between her and Mac. "Danny, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

"Montana was pregnant." Danny heard Stella gasp. "She lost the baby. That was why they had to rush her into surgery again."

_Flashback…_

_"Have a seat Detective Messer." Dr. Simpson said as he led Danny into one of the private family waiting rooms. _

_"I think I'd rather stand if that's okay." The doctor nodded. "Please, is Lindsay going to be okay?"_

_"The reason we had to rush Detective Monroe back into surgery was that she had an incomplete miscarriage. We had to perform a DNC to stop the bleeding." Danny was shocked. He felt his knees start to give out and decided that he better sit down after all. _

_"Lindsay was… Lindsay was pregnant?" Danny asked. _

_"It appears so. We did not notice it during the first surgery and I doubt she even knew. From the size of the fetus I would say she was only five weeks at the most. Detective Taylor said that you were her boyfriend. Is it safe to assume that you were the father?" Danny wanted to say no, because it was just too painful to think they had lost their child but he knew that Lindsay would never have cheated on him. _

_"We've not had sex in almost a month and then we sort of broke up. Although I sure it was mine. Lindsay was not like that." Danny said quietly. Only you would do something like that, he thought to himself. _

_"Well if she wakes up…" Danny cut him off. _

_"When, not if, when she wakes up." Danny corrected him. _

_"Sorry, when Detective Monroe wakes up we can tell her or you can, we will leave it up to you. Sometimes it is better coming from someone you know." _

_"I would like to tell her." Dr. Simpson nodded and turned to leave the room. "The nurse should be back soon to show you to her room." Danny shook his hand and got up to go join Stella, Mac and Flack in the waiting room. _

"Oh Danny, I'm so sorry." Stella said through the tears.

"I can't believe this. I was going to be a father." Stella wrapped her arms around him. "How could I love something that a few minutes ago I didn't even know existed?" Danny asked to no one in particular. No body answered, because no body knew what to say.

"Detective Messer?" A nurse asked as she walked into the room breaking the silence and Danny jumped up. "I can show you to her room if you would like." He nodded and turned back to Mac.

"Go ahead Danny. Take your time." Danny nodded again and followed the nurse out of the room.

"Now, before you go in, you need to prepare yourself. There will be a lot of wires and tubes, all of which are necessary to help Detective Monroe heal. It can be a lot to take in. If you need anything just press the call button and a nurse will come. Talk to her; let her know you're there. Right now that is all you can do, it's up to her now." Danny nodded and the nurse pushed the door open. Instantly the tears began pouring down his face. The nurse closed the door and Danny was alone with Lindsay.

"Hey Montana." Danny said through the tears as he took her hand. He ran his thumb across her knuckles. "You can't leave me. I need you to fight. I love you so much. Did you hear me baby, I love you." Danny turned his attention to the heart monitor. He watched the steady rhythm and continued to hold her hand. "I'm not going anywhere sweetie. Night and day, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to fix this. I'm going to fix us. You'll see, I promise."

Danny sat there for over an hour, just holding her hand.

"Danny?" Danny looked up to see Mac standing there holding a bag. "Hawkes brought you some clothes." Danny looked at the bag and then at Lindsay. "I will sit with her while you change." Reluctantly Danny let go of her hand. He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Mac handed him the bag and he left the room. Mac pulled up a chair and took Lindsay's hand, which was still warm from Danny's constant grip.

"That boy is crazy about you Lindsay. I know you two have a lot to work out but he loves you and I am pretty sure you still love him." Mac said as he gave her hand a squeeze. "Why do you think I kept assigning you and him to the same cases?" Mac teased. "You have to get better Lindsay because I don't think Danny's heart could handle it if you don't." Mac paused and took a deep breath. "Or mine either for that matter. You are like a daughter to me, Lindsay and I can't bare the thought of losing you." Mac felt a single tear roll down his cheek. "So you need to fight. You need to fight with everything you have. The team cannot lose you. We have been through so much in the last couple years, we cannot lose you too. Danny cannot lose you. I cannot lose you." Mac kissed her hand as the tears began to run down his face.

A/N- Please review.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been three days since Lindsay was shot and she still had not woken up, though the doctors said that she was making good progress. True to his word, Danny never left her side. The only time he would leave was when Mac and Stella would force him to get something to eat and then only if Mac agreed to sit with her. His greatest fear would be that she would wake up alone.

Finally on the third day Danny noticed her hand move. Nothing big just a slight twitch. He jumped up and grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Montana, baby can you hear me? Squeeze my hand." Danny felt his heart stop when she wrapped her tiny fingers around his hand. "That's my girl. Now open your eyes. I know you can do it. Open your eyes." Danny could feel the tears threatening to fall again. Slowly Danny watched as Lindsay opened her eyes. "There you are. Welcome back." Danny could not hold the tears back anymore. Danny ran his other hand down the side of her cheek. Danny could feel Lindsay's body tense up as she began to fight with the ventilator that was in her throat. "Calm down, baby. Just relax. That is helping you breathe. Just relax." Lindsay began to relax and Danny pressed the call button. A few seconds later a nurse appeared. "She's awake." Danny said with a huge smile on his face.

"That's good news; I'll go find the doctor." The nurse took a couple of vitals and then left to find the doctor.

"You scared the crap out of Montana." Danny smiled. "Don't ever do that again." A few minutes later Dr. Simpson came into the room.

"So I hear that Detective Monroe finally decided to grace us with her presence." He teased as he walked over to the bed. "Detective Monroe, I am Dr. Simpson. I am going to take the ventilator out now. I am not going to lie you, it's going to hurt. Probably hurt worse then getting shot did. Your lung and ribs are still healing so just be prepared." Lindsay blinked her eyes. "Okay on the count of three I want you to exhale as hard and as fast as you can. Okay?" Lindsay blinked again. "One, two, three!" Lindsay exhaled and the doctor pulled the tube from her throat. Lindsay immediately began to cough and her entire body was flooded with pain. Pain like she had never felt before.

"Hurts!!" Lindsay moaned as she squeezed Danny's hand.

"I know baby. Just breathe." Danny finally felt Lindsay's grip begin to loosen. "That's it. Just relax."

"Try not to talk too much. Your throat is going to be sore for a few days. I will give you something for the pain. Just try and get some rest. Your body is still healing." Dr. Simpson wrote something on Lindsay's chart and then he and the nurse left the room.

"Danny?" Lindsay asked in a raspy tone.

"Shh. Don't talk. I am right here. I'm not going anywhere. I love you so much." Danny said as he wiped a tear from Lindsay's cheek. The nurse returned, gave Lindsay something for the pain and then left again. In a matter of minutes Lindsay was asleep.

Danny took the time to call Mac and give him the good news.

"Taylor." Mac said as he answered his phone.

"Hey, it's Danny. Lindsay is awake." Mac could almost hear Danny smiling through the phone.

"Are you serious? That is great. How is she feeling?"

"She is asleep right now. They gave her pain medicine after they took the ventilator out."

"That is the best news I have heard all week. Tell her we will be over first thing in the morning."

"I will." Danny replied.

"And Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell her we love her and if she ever does anything like this again I will lock her in the lab and never let her out."

"I'll tell her." Danny laughed and closed his phone. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, but now came the hard part. He had to convince Lindsay that he was truly sorry and that he really did love her. Then he had to do the hardest thing he could imagine and tell her that she lost their baby.

Later that night, Danny had just dozed off when he heard Lindsay wake up.

"Danny?" Danny jumped up and grabbed her hand.

"I am right here." Danny gave her hand a squeeze and a smile spread across her face. "I was so scared. I thought that I lost you. When I saw you laying on that kitchen floor I thought my life was over. I am so sorry. I am sorry for everything. I know what I did was stupid…"

"Danny, stop it." Danny began to panic. Maybe she hadn't forgiven him. Maybe it was just the pain talking. "I already told you I forgive you. I know what happened. I may not have had any proof but I could feel it in my gut. I forgive you. When I saw you kneeling in front of me covered in my blood, all I could think about was how I might never see you again and that hurt worse than any gunshot."

"Oh, you don't know how happy that makes me. I love you so much. I know that I never told you that, but I do Montana. I do. I love you more than you will ever know." Danny felt a tear roll down his cheek.

"I love you too cowboy." Lindsay let out a small chuckle but quickly regretted it as the pain came back. She squeezed Danny's hand till it passed.

"Better?" Danny asked and she nodded her head. "Good. Mac said that he would be by in the morning and that you had better not scare him like that again." Danny teased. "That man cares for you a lot. In all the years I have known him I have only ever seen him cry once and that was right after Claire died, but he has cried twice in the last three days." Lindsay blushed. "He loves you like a daughter, you know that right?" Lindsay nodded.

They sat there in silence while Danny desperately tried to build up the courage to tell Lindsay about the baby. Finally he took a deep breath and decided that it was now or never.

"Sweetie, there is something I need to tell you." Lindsay looked confused as she looked into Danny's eyes. "After your first surgery, they had to rush you back into the operating room because you suffered an incomplete miscarriage." Danny felt the tears falling down his cheek and watched as tears threatened to fall from Lindsay's eyes as well.

"Miscarriage? But that would mean I was…" Lindsay could not bring herself to say the word.

"You were pregnant. I'm so sorry. They had to perform a DNC to stop the bleeding. They said that you were only five weeks at the most. I am so sorry sweetie. The doctor said there was nothing you could have done. Between the trauma of getting shot and all of the drugs they pumped into you…" Danny stopped as he watched the tears pour down her face. "I know how much you want kids, but there will be time for that again. I promise." Danny pulled her into a hug, careful not to hurt her and just let her cry.

A/N- The next chapter is almost finished, with any luck I will be able to post it tomorrow. Please Review!!


	5. Chapter 5

Danny held Lindsay until she fell asleep. Telling her about the baby had possibly been the hardest thing he had ever done.

The next morning Danny woke up early and just watched her sleep. Finally he saw her stir, so he got up and walked over to her bed. Gently he sat down on the edge, careful not move the bed too much and took her hand. Slowly she opened her eyes.

"Morning beautiful." Danny smiled as he kissed the back of her hand. "How do you feel this morning?"

"Better with you here." Lindsay smiled. A surge of pain ripped through her body and she squeezed his hand. "Okay maybe not that good." Lindsay said after it passed.

"Are you okay, I mean about what we talked about last night?" Danny asked, not really sure what to say.

"To be honest Danny, I'm not sure." He kissed her hand again.

"We'll just take in one day at a time." Danny said as he wiped a few stray hairs from her face. There was a knock at the door and Danny turned around to see Mac and Stella standing there.

"We're not interrupting anything are we?" Stella asked.

"No come on it." Danny said turning his focus back to Lindsay.

"How are you feeling kiddo?" Stella asked.

"Like I've been hit by a bus." Lindsay said as she winced in pain.

"You gave us quite a scare." Mac said after placing kiss on her forehead. "Let's try not to let that happen again, got it?"

"Yes, sir." Lindsay said, knowing how much he hated being called sir, causing Danny to laugh. Mac glared at Danny.

"Hey it wasn't me this time I swear." Danny continued to laugh.

"I will remember that come review time young lady." Mac teased. Lindsay smiled back. "Danny do you mind letting me talk to Lindsay alone for a few minutes?"

"Sure Mac, Stella and I will go get some breakfast." Danny gave Lindsay a quick kiss and he and Stella left the room.

"You know he loves you right?" Mac asked as he sat down on the edge of Lindsay's bed.

"Yes I do." Lindsay could not help but smile.

"He was a mess when they brought you in and then when they told us to prepare for the worse; I thought he was going to pass out. I think this whole ordeal knocked some sense into him. I have never seen him so scared."

"Well at least one good thing came out of this than." Lindsay put her hand on her stomach and sighed.

"He told you?" Mac asked.

"Yeah."

"I am sorry, Lindsay. I really am. I cannot imagine how you must feel right now."

"Thank you Mac." Lindsay felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"Just remember we are all here for you. Whatever you need." Mac smiled. "You are the closet thing I have to a daughter and I want you to know that you can come to me about anything."

"I appreciate that Mac."

"Just promise me you will be more careful when you are out in the field. I am not sure how much more this old heart can take." Lindsay let out a small chuckle. "I am serious Lindsay I am not sure what I would have done if we had lost you. You mean more to me than I think you realize."

"I do realize Mac and it means a lot to me. It's nice to feel apart of family again."

A while later Danny and Stella came back. Lindsay was asleep so Mac suggested that he and Danny take a walk. Danny shot Stella a worried look and Stella could not help but smile.

"So Lindsay told me you told her about the baby?" Mac said as they walked. "How did she take it?"

"About like I expected. But I think she will be okay. We both will." Danny shrugged his shoulders. "I told her that there would be time for babies later." To that Danny smiled. The thought of having babies with 'his Montana' made his heart skip a beat.

"So things between the two of you good?" Mac asked.

"Yeah. Great actually. I apologized again and she forgave me. I told her I loved her like you told me too." Danny grinned.

"So you told her you slept with Rikki?" Danny cringed when he heard Mac say it.

"I didn't have to, she already knew."

"You are very lucky Danny. She really loves you; don't take that for granted again."

"I know and I will spend the rest of my life proving to her that she made the right choice." Danny smiled as a mental image of him and Lindsay walking through Central Park at 70 flashed before him.

"Good. You two did a good job of keeping it out of the lab last time, so I expect the same thing this time. This cannot interfere with your work."

"It won't Mac, I promise."

"Okay, one more thing and I want you to listen and listen good." Mac stopped and turned face Danny. Danny suddenly became very afraid for his life. "You've already hurt her once. I'm willing to over look that because I know that you love her, but I swear to god if you hurt her again I will kill you. Understand?" All Danny could do was nod his head. "Good." Mac turned around and left a stunned and scared Danny behind.

"So what do you think Danny and Mac are talking about?" Lindsay asked a few minutes after she woke up and Stella told her that Mac and Danny went for a walk.

"I would say that is safe to assume they are talking about you." Stella smirked.

"Me?" Lindsay asked with a confused look on her face.

"I am sure Mac is having 'the conversation' with him."

"The conversation…" Lindsay paused and then it hit her. "Oh, that conversation. The hurt her and I will kill you conversation."

"That would be the one." Stella laughed.

A/N - Please review


	6. Chapter 6

Six months had passed and Lindsay was finally back to work full time. She and Danny were getting along better than ever and had even moved into together a couple months after she got out of the hospital.

"Hey Mac, do you have a minute?" Danny asked as he stuck his head inside Mac's office.

"Sure, come in." Danny walked in and sat down in the chair opposite Mac's desk. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Lindsay." Danny said, suddenly becoming very nervous.

"Lindsay?" Mac asked raising his eyebrows. "Is something wrong?"

"No everything is great. Better than great actually. These last few months have been perfect."

"Okay, well than if nothing is wrong than what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, you know how much I love her, right?" Mac nodded his head. "Well here lately I have been feeling like there is something missing." Mac wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was heading.

"I swear to god Danny if you break her heart again I am going to make sure you get up close and personal with the bottom of the Hudson."

"God no. Mac I would never do that. I swear. I love her and I'm not going anywhere. Just the opposite in fact, I want to marry her." Danny said as he started to sweat.

"Marry her?" Mac looked back stunned.

"Yes, Mac; marry her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her and I was hoping that I could get your permission to do that. Ask her I mean." Danny was a nervous wreck.

"Oh I see." Mac said as he leaned back in his chair. _This is going to be fun, Mac laughed to himself. _

"Yeah, I know that I don't deserve her. I know that I have done some really dumb things in the past but I love her. I want to grow old with her, I want to have kids with her and I want to make her as happy as she has made me."

"What about the next time something happens, are you going to leave her and run to someone else?" Mac asked in a very serious tone.

"No, trust me I have learned my lesson. I almost lost her once I will not do that again."

"What makes you think she will say yes? Have you even talked about getting married before?" Mac loved watching Danny squirm. This was too much fun.

"Well no, but I'm sure she will say yes. I mean I hope so." Danny paused as he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. "Oh Jesus, what if she says no? What if she doesn't want to marry me?" Upon seeing the young man in front of him begin to panic, Mac figured it was time to put Danny out of his misery.

"Calm down Danny. You know good and well she'll say yes." Danny looked up at Mac with pleading eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Of course she will. She loves you." Mac smiled. "And as for my permission, you have it. I would be honored to have you marry Lindsay." Mac beamed with pride.

"Seriously?"

"Did you honestly think I was going to say no?"

"Well not until you started talking about running away and her saying no." Danny said with a half hearted smile. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist."

"That was mean Mac, just plain mean." Mac simply smiled.

"I know, but it was fun." They both stood up and Mac gave Danny a hug. "Now when do you suspect that you might purpose?"

"Saturday. I got her tickets to see 'Rent' and then we are going out to dinner."

"Sounds goods. Now why don't you get back to work?"

"Sure thing Mac." Danny left Mac's office and then Mac left to go find Stella. He was hoping that Saturday was still available in the engagement pool.

Saturday night finally came and Danny was scared shitless. He had been rehearsing all day in front of the mirror, but now that it was time he could not remember any thing he wanted to say.

They had gone to see 'Rent' and then dinner. After dinner, Danny told Lindsay that he wanted to take a walk through the park.

"I love Central Park." Lindsay smiled as they strolled hand in hand through the park. "It's so beautiful."

"I know what you mean." Danny replied never taking his eyes off of Lindsay.

They walked a ways longer and finally Danny could not stand it any longer.

"Lindsay, honey, you know I love you right?" Danny asked as they stopped walking and she turned to face him.

"Of course."

"Good, because I know that I have done some stupid things in the past and I just want you to know that."

"Danny what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just…" Danny groaned with frustration as he could not remember what to say. "I had this perfect speech all planned out and now I can't remember any of it. Oh the hell with it. Lindsay I love you more than anything in the world. That day that you forgave me was the happiest day of my life. I know that I don't deserve you and I know that I can be an idiot sometimes, but there is nothing that I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you." Danny dropped to his knee and pulled out a diamond ring. Lindsay could not help but gasp. "Lindsay Ann Monroe will you marry me?" Lindsay did not say a word, but the tears poured from her eyes. "Lindsay, baby, say something. Anything because I am freaking out a little right now."

"YES! YES!" Lindsay screamed as Danny threw his arms around her.

"Oh thank god. I love you so much." He slipped the ring on her finger.

"It's beautiful Danny. I love you too." Danny pulled Lindsay into a very passionate kiss and thanked god above for giving him someone as special as Lindsay.

A/N -- Please Review


	7. Chapter 7

The next day Lindsay and Danny walked into the lab hand in hand, neither one of them able to hide the smiles on their faces. They walked into the break room where ever one was waiting for them.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Mac asked with a sneaky grin on his face.

"Well, Montana and I have some good news, we…" but before he could finish Lindsay interrupted him.

"We're engaged!" She screamed as she pulled her hand away from Danny's for everyone to see. Stella screamed and practically knocked Flack over as she went over to inspect the ring.

"1 Karat, princess cut. Nice job Danny. It's beautiful." Stella smiled. "Tiffany's right?"

"How could you possibly know that?" Danny asked shocked.

"It's what she does Danny, it's what she does." Lindsay smiled. There were congratulations all around and Mac could not have been prouder.

"Well I think this calls for a celebration." Mac announced. "And since some people owe me some money," he said looking at Stella, Flack and Hawkes, "I'll treat to lunch."

"Money?" Danny asked confused.

"I due believe that I had yesterday in the engagement pool?" Mac said looking at Stella.

"You guys had a pool on when we were going to get engaged?" Danny asked trying not to laugh.

"Of course." Flack replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "But like always, Mac won." He moaned as he pulled out his wallet and handed Mac twenty dollars. Mac shot Danny a look that told him to keep his mouth shut.

"Quit your whining Flack." Mac smiled as he took the money. "Now who's up for lunch?"

A little while later the entire team was enjoying lunch at Mac's expense. Stella and Lindsay were busy discussing the wedding while Flack and Hawkes had gone to shoot pool.

"So are you ever going to tell them?" Danny asked Mac, realizing they were alone.

"No and neither are you. Technically I did nothing wrong. I just used the information presented to me." Mac smiled. "Don't think for one minute that Stella or Flack would not have done the same thing." Danny knew that Mac was right. Anything to win that was Stella's motto. And that is when Danny heard it. He heard Lindsay tell Stella that Danny had asked Mac for permission and like a light bulb turning on, it instantly clicked.

"Mac Taylor!" Stella yelled from across the table, causing Flack and Hawkes to pause their game. Slowly they both walked back to the table. "I can't believe that you did that."

"Did what Stella?" Flack asked confused. Lindsay realized that she screwed up but could not help but laugh.

"Did you know that Danny asked Mac for permission to marry Lindsay?" Stella asked turning to Flack and Hawkes.

"No, but I don't understand what the big deal is, he…" Then it hit him. "Oh come on Mac, that's not fair." Mac continued to smile.

"What are you talking about?" Hawkes asked thoroughly confused.

"Mac knew. Mac knew that Danny was going to propose. Didn't you?" Flack said staring at Mac.

"Possibly, maybe, I don't recall." Mac laughed.

"Don't give me that." Stella grinned. "You knew and you used it to win the pool. That's not fair. You had inside information."

"Oh please, come off it Stella. Are you telling me that if Lindsay came to right now you and told you she was pregnant," Danny's jaw dropped, "you would not immediately run and change your date in the baby pool?"

"You have a baby pool?" Danny asked shocked.

"Of course we do. Don't act so surprised." Stella smiled. "And that's not the point Mac." Stella added blushing.

"That's what I thought." Mac added after seeing Stella blush.

"Aren't you all getting ahead of yourselves a little bit? I mean we aren't even married yet."

"Well actually…" Lindsay said, shocking everyone.

"Excuse me?" Danny asked as he turned to face Lindsay. "Are you saying what I think you are saying?" Lindsay instantly began to blush and Danny was pretty sure her smile could not get any bigger.

"Are you serious?" Stella asked almost ready to explode.

"Are you ready to be a daddy?" Lindsay asked smiling. Danny leaped up and pulled Lindsay into a hug.

"I can't believe this. When did you find out?" Danny asked stunned.

"Friday. I was going to tell you last night but then you proposed and then, well you know…" Lindsay began blushing again as the images of the night before flashed before her. Danny picked her up by the waist and began spinning her around, completely over come with joy.

"Easy there cowboy." Lindsay said while he continued to spin her around. "If you don't want to see my lunch all down the front of your shirt I suggest that you put me down." Danny immediately sat her carefully back down on the ground.

"Sorry, I'm just so excited. I'm going to be a father. We're going to have a baby."

"Yes, we are." Lindsay smiled as he leaned over and gave her a kiss.

Mac ordered a round of drinks, non-alcoholic for Lindsay of course and proposed a toast.

"Here is to Danny and Lindsay. The future Mr. and Mrs. Messer and the future parents of my godchild." Mac smiled as he raised his glass.

"We wouldn't have it any other way Mac." Danny replied. Stella stood there with her hands on her hips as if she was greatly offended.

"Relax Stel," Lindsay said slapping her arm, "the baby needs a godmother right?"

"Just checking." Stella smiled as she pulled Lindsay into a hug.

"So who won the baby pool?" Lindsay asked after Stella let go.

"I don't know, let me look." Stella pulled a piece of paper out of her purse and scanned the dates. "Damn it!"

"Let me guess, Mac!" Flack said pulling his wallet out.

"No, actually it was Lindsay." Stella smiled. Danny turned to face Lindsay and he was stunned.

"What?" Lindsay asked as Danny stared at her. "We'll put the money towards his or her college fund." Lindsay laughed as she collected her winnings from Stella, Flack and Hawkes.

"Talk about your inside information." Mac teased as he handed Lindsay twenty dollars.


	8. Chapter 8

The next six and a half months went back extremely fast

The next six and a half months went by extremely fast. Danny and Lindsay got married in a simple ceremony about a month after they announced their engagement. Danny really wanted to be married before the baby came and Lindsay did not want to look like a whale in her wedding photos so they decided time was of the essence. It was a small ceremony. They kept the guest list to a minimum consisting mostly of Danny's family and the people from the lab. Flack was Danny's best man, Stella was the maid of honor and Mac walked Lindsay down the aisle. Mac could not have been any prouder if it had been his own daughter.

Danny and Lindsay had decided to forgo a honeymoon because Danny wanted to save all of his time off for when the baby was born, but much to their shock the team surprised them with a three night stay at the Waldorf. Granted it was still in New York but at least they could be together and not have to worry about work for a couple days. Hawkes covered Danny's shifts and Stella covered Lindsay's. After all, everyone needs a honeymoon, or at least that's what Mac said. All and all it was perfect.

Lindsay was currently in the break room trying to decide whether she wanted chips or chocolate when she felt two arms wrap around her eight and half month belly.

"There's my beautiful wife." Danny smiled as he placed a gentle kiss on her neck. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a beached whale." Lindsay moaned as she put her hands on top of his and leaned back into his chest.

"Yeah, well just two more weeks." Danny could not help but smile even bigger. "And just think, since today is your last day at work, for the next two weeks you can lay around the apartment in your pjs and never leave the couch."

"Oh that sounds nice." Lindsay smiled as he pulled her a little closer.

"I'm sure Mac would give you rest of the day off if you wanted to start your leave a little early. I know that he will be happy when you are out of the lab and safe at home. I have never seen him this nervous." Danny laughed.

"I know what you mean." Lindsay chuckled. "This morning I was carrying, like five file folders and he literally ran out of his office to 'help' me. Though you have to admit it is kind of sweet."

"Sweet is usually not a word I associate with Mac Taylor." Danny grinned. "But you're right. So are you going to ask him to leave early?" He asked with his arms still wrapped around her and his chin resting on the top her head.

"No, I get off at five anyways. I think I can make it a few more hours." Lindsay smiled. "What time are you off?"

"Now, actually. I just wanted to see you before I left, tell you how beautiful you are and how much I love you." Lindsay turned around and smiled.

"I love you too." She said as she pulled him into a kiss. It started out slow but soon grew more passionate and finally the lack of oxygen caused them to pull apart.

"Thank you." Danny said resting his forehead against hers.

"For what?" Lindsay asked a little confused.

"For everything. For forgiving me. For allowing me the chance to prove to you how much I love you. For making me that happiest man in the world." It had been over a year since Lindsay had gotten shot and forgave him but deep down inside he still felt like it was dream that he was going to wake from. He hated what he did to her, he hated that he was so stupid and most of all he hated himself.

"Danny how many times do we have to go over this. I forgive you but you need to forgive yourself. The past is the past. There is nothing we can do about it now. Yeah you screwed up. You were grieving and you did something stupid. I can't tell you how many stupid things I did after my friends were murdered. I did things that would make even you blush. We all make mistakes Danny. It's what makes us who we are. " Danny felt a tear run down his cheek. "I love you and you love me. That is all that matters and in a couple weeks we are going to be parents. A family." She said wiping the tear away.

"But what if I can't protect her. What if I fail her like I failed Ruben?"

"Danny you didn't fail Ruben. What happened to him was not your fault."

"I just don't think I could handle it if something happened to our daughter."

"I can't promise you that nothing bad is ever going to happen to her, but I do know that if something does happen we will get through it together. That is what families do; they survive together."

"God Montana, I love you so much." Danny said pulling her as close as her belly would allow.

"I love you too, now why don't you go home and fix your very pregnant wife something great for dinner?" Lindsay smirked effectively breaking the tension in the room.

"Is that all I am to you, your personal chef?" Danny teased.

"Anything to make me happy right?" Lindsay teased back.

"You know that's right. I know just what to fix," he smiled, "and then maybe after dinner my sweet and innocent wife can tell me some of these things that you she used to do that would make me blush?" Danny raised his eyebrows.

"I'm not sure you can handle it cowboy." Lindsay smirked. "This one time…" Lindsay pulled Danny down and continued to whisper in his ear. Danny immediately began to blush and he felt his pants suddenly get very, very tight.

"Jesus Montana." He half moaned half coughed as Lindsay pulled away. "We will definitely be trying that later, like I don't know, tonight." Danny smiled pulling her into another passionate kiss.

"Depends on what you make me for dinner." She smiled after they pulled apart. "Now get going." Lindsay swatted him on the butt and he turned and left. Once he was gone Lindsay turned back to the vending machine and continued to ponder chips over chocolate.

She was still staring at the vending machine when Stella walked in a few minutes later.

"Are you still trying to decide? I left here," Stella looked at the clock, "twenty minutes ago. Please tell me you have not been standing there staring at the vending machine for twenty minutes?"

"No, Danny was here for at least 15 minutes." Lindsay half smiled.

"Everything okay?" Stella asked.

"Yeah, just Danny being Danny." She turned away from the vending machine and faced Stella. "He's just nervous about the baby."

"Well that's to be expected for any first time father." Stella smiled.

"I know, it's just…ahhhh." Lindsay felt a sharp pain in her side.

"Lindsay, you okay?" Stella asked rushing to her side. Lindsay shook her head as she continued to clutch her side. She took Lindsay by the arm and began leading her to the couch when Lindsay stopped. Lindsay felt a warm sensation oozing down her legs and with wide eyes turned to face Stella.

"I think my water just broke!"

Sixteen hours later, Danny was holding his little girl while Lindsay slept. Never in his life had he felt like this. She was perfect. It amazed him how he could love something so much so quickly.

"She's beautiful." Lindsay smiled as struggled to wake up.

"Yes she is." Danny said as he continued to stare at his daughter. "But you should be sleeping. You must be exhausted. I'm tired having just watched you." He said finally turning his focus to Lindsay. Lindsay was in labor for thirteen hours, but she had to admit that it was all worth it.

"I'm okay." Lindsay smiled as they heard a knock at the door and saw Stella stick her head in.

"You up for some visitors?" She asked.

"Sure, come on in." Danny replied as he got up from the chair and sat gently down on Lindsay's bed.

"Oh my god, she is beautiful." Stella said through the tears. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure." Danny said as he carefully handed her to Stella.

"Congratulations." Mac smiled. "I am really happy for both of you."

"What's her name?" Flack asked as he stared at the little girl in Stella's arms.

"Caroline Mackenzie Messer." Lindsay answered and Mac felt a tear roll down his cheek.

Several hours later Danny sat in the chair next to Lindsay's bed and watched his wife breast feed their daughter. He felt his heart cringe when he thought about how close he came to not having this. How close he came to losing Lindsay forever, but she was right about one thing. They were a family now and that was all that mattered.

THE END

A/N- Hope you liked it, please review!!


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